Within the Confines of the Mind
by invisible0one
Summary: After being caught in the cross fire of one of Danny's fights, Sam ends up in a coma. While she's asleep, she relives the memories that ultimately created her close friendship with Danny. As the time passes, Danny slowly realizes just how much Sam really means to him and discovers his own feelings.
1. Chapter 1

_Because a friendship like Danny and Sam's doesn't just appear out of thin air._

* * *

**A whole stack of memories never equal one little hope.**

**Charles M. Schulz**

* * *

"Don't forget me, please Sam." A week had passed since this first started, since she first lost consciousness and all contact with the outside world. She'd taken a hard blow to the head and the doctors said that even if she did wake up, there was no guarantee she'd remember anything about her life. There was no guarantee of anything, all I had keeping me sane was hope and hope alone. I don't know what I'd do if she had forgotten who I was by the time she woke up.

* * *

It felt like I was floating through the blackness, as if I was staying airborne even though I didn't have him there to support me.

Him. That's the only name I have for him right now. I can't remember his name, all I know is he's been there by my side for years now. My one question is this: how would he be able to keep me airborne? Normal boys don't fly, do they?

Suddenly, I'm not floating anymore, I'm in the body of a little girl watching as the new boy walks into school. I know I've seen his face before. That's right, I caught sight of him on the bus this morning while he awkwardly shuffled around to find a seat until I let him share mine - it wasn't like anyone else ever bothered to sit with me.

I hear his name for the first time, but I don't really listen to it as I see that goofy smile of his for the first time as well. I figure I'll hear his name again soon enough if it becomes a daily occurrence for him to sit next to me. The ride to our small elementary school is mostly silent outside of the constant roar of the other students talking and jabbering on about whatever has their interest at the moment. Just before the bus pulls to a stop, he finally says something I actually remember.

"Since I don't have any friends yet, do you wanna be my bus buddy? At least until I can get some other friends?" That smile of his was back, and I couldn't help but agree to the proposition of the boy with those baby blue eyes.

The bus finally comes to a rest outside the school and I lose track of the new kid, my new bus buddy, on the way to the cafeteria where all of us go to wait for the early bell to ring so we can be on our way to class. I pull out my latest book to pass the time, there's still a half hour before they'll let us even start heading to class.

Sometimes, I feel like an outsider sitting there all alone in the mornings with only books on a higher reading level than most of the other second graders can manage to keep me company, but I don't really mind it anymore. Being alone has become a part of life for me; it's something I can't avoid and so I embrace it instead.

Snippets of the conversations floating around me make their way to my ears as I try to lose myself in the world of the third Harry Potter book.

"Derek, did you…"

"You are so stupid, Cody!"

"...but you don't like like him, do you?"

Were they talking about crushes already? We're in second grade. I guess that could be the few fifth graders sitting in here even though they aren't supposed to, but how could they know what a crush is? No kid in here is over the age of eleven, what could they know of love?

Teachers start to release us and we file off to class slowly, trying to extend our limited free time before we are forced to sit down and learn something new. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad for me if I just had a friend.

I sit at my small desk, doodling and letting my mind wander off into it's own little world. I wonder when the Clean Desk Fairy will visit the class next, not that I ever got anything. I didn't see the point in keeping my desk clean when I knew exactly where everything was within the clutter shoved inside it. I force myself to reluctantly come back to the real world as the teacher fights for a few minutes to get the attention of my class. I notice a head of black hair standing next to her and those baby-blue eyes of his catch my attention for the first of millions of times.

"Class, this is Daniel. He'll be joining us today." We all forced out the obligatory response to the formal introduction. Daniel? I know he doesn't go by that, it sounds too formal. Only a frootloop would use that name on a daily basis.

The boy is directed towards me. Our desks currently reside in groups of two, and even here I'm the odd one out. I'm the little odd ball who doesn't have a friend to sit with during class. Danny sits next to me with only a single spiral notebook and a pencil too dull for my likings in his hand.

"You didn't tell me you were in this class, Sam!" He seems overly excited, maybe he'd just glad he isn't seated with a total stranger even if I'd only spent fifteen minutes on the bus with him this morning.

"You didn't ask me, Danny." Danny, that's what he goes by. I remember as a small smile tugs at my usually expressionless lips. Maybe I'll have a friend soon after all. That, or he'll realize I'm an oddball and leave me just like all the other kids.

Class passes slowly for me and only a few small words are snuck between me and Danny before lunch and recess. No one bothers me as I eat at our class's assigned table. No one ever bugs me and I can't escape the feeling of being isolated from the others around me since our teacher assigned us seats at the lunch table and Danny has been seated at the other end. The kids around me play hand games while they wait to be dismissed to go get in the lunch line and I eat my home made lunch. I could afford to buy lunches from the school if I really wanted to, but everyone knows school food is icky and the lines are too long to bother.

At recess, I race to the swings so I can have one to myself as I sing softly to pass the time. Danny is once more nowhere to be found as he runs around, making friends with the other kids with ease. I catch sight of him playing tag with Dash and some other kids as I just sit there all alone, just like every other day of the week. Maybe I won't finally have a friend, Danny seems to be making plenty of other ones just fine without me.

We return to our classroom, most of us exhausted and sweaty and Danny sits next to me once more and flashes me a smile. The room is silent as we all take the test that only Danny can avoid. It's funny how he managed to make his first day be that of a test. The test is finished and the teacher lets us do stations filled with fun stuff. There's Play-Dough at one, building blocks at another, and even games on the computers. The blue-eyed boy stays with me for a few of the stations, but for the most part, he wanders away until the bell rings and we head to our bus line.

I sigh as I prepare for yet another lonely bus ride in my seat at the back, but just as I'm about to disappear off into my own little world, Danny gets my attention from the only seat behind me.

"Wanna play with us?" He smiles brightly as he produces Pokémon plushies from out of nowhere. I see Dash smiling too, inviting me to play with him as well. My hope for a friend is renewed.

Maybe my days of being alone are over.

* * *

_Yup...this is the side project I've been working on instead of my Avatar crossover..._

_Anyway, this won't be based around the ghosts running around Amity Park, it will revolve around the memories that forge a friendship like Danny and Sam's._

_It should be pretty obvious, but I'll say it here anyway. At the start of each chapter, there will be a small little blip of a scene from Danny's perspective in the present before it moves into Sam's memories of the past._

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	2. Chapter 2

_Should I be posting this one day after the other? Probably not. Am I going to anyway? Yup. :P_

* * *

**You can feel very quickly as a prisoner of your past, of the memories.**

**Eric Cantona**

* * *

"Is she doing any better sweetie?" Mom had just gotten back after going home to sleep last night. She wasn't too fond of me staying here all the time, but I couldn't leave Sam's side, not when I was the one who got her into this mess. One screw up, that's all it took to land her in the hospital, unconscious. I should have taken the hit, I should be the one here.

"There's no change." I said it with hardly any emotion, reaching to grab Sam's hand and squeezing it tightly.

Mom sat beside me, taking my free hand in her own. "It's not your fault, Danny." She didn't know the half of it. "God only knows what she was doing getting involved in a fight with the ghost boy, but that doesn't make it your fault."

I wasn't thinking when my response left my mouth. "It is my fault, damn it! She was helping me, and I couldn't keep her safe! I'm Danny fucking Phantom and I couldn't keep her safe!" My rant died out as my mind fully processed what I had just said.

"What did you say?" Shit. There's no way I can get out of this one.

* * *

I feel the ghost of a sensation on my hand as I'm riding the bus once more. The driver has gotten tired of hearing us squabble over seats, and so she has enforced assigned seating on bus 327. There's a girl named Sarah in the seat next to mine, and Danny's sister, Jasmine, sits a few seats in front of me, but what makes me the happiest is that I now share a seat with Danny. I had time to play with my only friend on the bus every day going to and from school now, and it was so much better than sitting all alone.

The girl, Sarah, is nice and although she's in the grade above us, she's still fun to play with. Dash sits behind Sarah, but I don't really like him very much. He's pretty stupid and is constantly trying to make add new rules to games just so he has the upper hand.

Danny and I talk a lot during class now, though he needs to learn how not to get caught. I'm never the on getting in trouble for talking in class because I know how to keep from getting caught. I guess being alone lets you learn from the mistakes of others.

We talk almost non stop on the way in from recess and when the teacher tells us to be quiet in the halls while we wait for the slowpokes to get out of the bathroom, we start a game of blowing air into each other's eyes. Danny's such a wimp and he isn't quite fast enough to close his eyes before my breath gets into them.

The day changes, and I can't tell if days have passed or if months have gone by. All I know is that our desks are now in little groups of fours and fives. Danny still sits next to me; the teacher hasn't moved our desks apart since we became friends, I think she's just happy I have a friend now. Even she knew I was so lonely before. Earlier in the year, she had even gone as far as to recommend me for some program with the counselor and all the other socially awkward kids. It didn't actually do me any good though.

I don't know what the purpose is, all I know is we get to make these fun little king puppets! We read a book in class, a fairy tale I think, and now we get to make puppets to play with. Danny isn't good at this sort of thing though, he's too clumsy to get the little piece of cloth to go where he wants them to before he glues them down. I just laugh as I help him, barely aware of a camera in the background. An idea comes to mind, maybe I should start a photo journal so I can keep these memories forever.

The images start to fade away form me, is there really so little I remember from that year? That was the first year I ever had a friend, but I can hardly remember anything. My mind shifts from that of an eight year old girl to a teenager, fighting to return to the surface of reality; fighting to get back to Danny.

_"I'm Danny fucking Phantom and I couldn't keep her safe!"_ I hear the whisper of his voice for just a second. Was that real? Or was it just a dream of sorts? I have no time to sort it out as the darkness pulls me away from the surface I had very nearly reached. I'm dragged back down to live in my memories once more.

Oh well, at least Danny is in them.

* * *

_6 reviews in less than 24 hours makes me very happy. :D Happy enough to post a second chapter so soon when I really should make you all wait a few days... Oh well!_

_Seriously though, after this, I'm moving updates to Thursdays with the possibility of a weekend update if I can manage get ahead of everything else._

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	3. Chapter 3

**My memories are inside me - they're not things or a place - I can take them anywhere.**

**Olivia Newton-John**

* * *

"It's nothing mom." I knew it wouldn't help me much, but I had to try. If the world was done fucking up my life, I might be able to work my way out of this without too much damage. I wanted to tell her and dad, but this was not how I wanted it to happen.

The look on her face told me she didn't believe me, that was probably a result of claiming it was nothing. "Tell me the truth, Danny." I looked away from Sam just long enough to see her eyes were full of concern before I averted my eyes again; it almost broke me, but I kept clinging on. She was bound to find out eventually, but I was going to put it off as long as possible.

"I can't tell you, not right now." My eyes didn't leave Sam. If she were here, she would know how to get me out of this. She'd probably smack me upside the head for letting it slip so easily, but she'd help me get out of this. She's always been there for me, she's always been by my side for as long as I can remember. It's amazing how fast I can feel myself falling apart now that she's out of the picture for the moment.

* * *

It takes me a moment to recognize the room I'm in as a new scene unfolds. I'm in third grade now. Danny is in my class again, but he sits on the other side of the room. I sit next to a kid named Tucker, and while I'm not too fond of his bright red hat, I slowly become friends with him. Before long, I notice his obsession with his Game Boy; even though we aren't even supposed to have games at school, he still seems to always have it tucked away in his pocket or he's playing on in it class when our teacher isn't looking.

After a few weeks, I'm passing notes back and forth with Tucker. I'm surprised Tucker hasn't gotten caught reading his notes yet, he always reads them in full view of our strict teacher instead of under his desk like I've told him to several times.

Then there was the incident with that idiot Ricky Marsh. He'd puked during lunch and it got all in my lunchbox! It was okay though, I kicked him off the monkey bars later in retaliation. The poor boy looked confused when I told him why and just pointed over in the direction of Danny and Tucker. They were standing off to the side and I could have sworn I saw Tucker giving Danny a pleading look, why I doubt I will ever know.

Every class gets a party on the last day before winter break sponsored by the PTA. This year, our class has juice boxes and sugar cookies we can decorate. When the icing comes out, Danny is the first one to it and he piles his cookie high with the white icing. I don't know how anyone can eat that much pure sugar, much less actually keep it down, but Danny eats is, all four inches high.

"If you puke on me on the bus because of that, I will smack you!" I'm not convinced he'll be able to keep it down during the bumpy bus ride home.

"Why would I puke on you when I can easily aim at Jazz?" He smirks and I just shake my head at him, trying not to laugh at him.

"Because you know Jazz won't put up with it either." I stick my tongue out at him as he goes to finish his juice box as a set of pre-decorated cookies is passed around to all of us before I feel myself being pulled away from the memory again.

I am caught in a rare moment of peace as the image fades away once more and I'm disappointed with myself that I don't remember more from our first two years together. What I'd give to hear his voice again for real, not just in my memories. I don't know what's happening to my body, but within the confines of my mind, I'm reliving the time I spent with Danny, starting from when we were little kids.

I guess you could say I'm falling in love with him all over again.

* * *

_It's shorter than I would like...sorry about that. Honestly, it's not because I'm too lazy to write more though, it's because I'm mostly working off my own memories and I can't seem to remember much from back then... The next chapters will be longer though! :)_

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	4. Chapter 4

**Memories are like stones, time and distance erode them like acid.**

**Ugo Betti**

* * *

Two weeks have passed now. Two weeks of sitting by Sam's side, ignoring my ghost sense and fighting to keep my parents from figuring out my secret. The only times I've even used my powers is to keep Sam's stuck up parents from kicking me out of Sam's room and the one time Skulker thought it'd be a good idea to try hunting me with Sam in her current condition.

That idiotic hunter will have to be rebuilt bolt by bolt now.

I can tell mom is getting more and more worried about my condition as well as Sam's. I know I haven't been doing much in trying to keep myself under the radar between skipping more meals than a normal human should be able to get away with and how so little sleep isn't affecting me, but I don't care anymore. I won't let something I can go without take me from Sam's side.

But why? Why am I so hell bent on staying with her? We have been friends since I first moved here, so maybe that's it. That has to be it.

* * *

I'm excited as I walk into my fourth grade classroom for the first time. My only complaint is it's in a portable and Jazz says these things get so cold in the winter. I get to sit next to Danny in class again because this teacher is nice and let us pick our own seats. He's says we're old enough to know what distracts us and what doesn't, but if we start goofing off he'll start assigning our seats.

Well, I thought I'd get to sit next to Danny. I know we have the same teacher this year, but he's nowhere to be found. A week goes by with me all alone at the small group of desks until finally Danny shows up. Apparently, he went to Washington D.C. at the end of the summer, and something had kept him there an extra week. I don't know what it was, I don't really care enough to find out. All I care about is that my best friend is here and finally fills one of the seats around me.

I have mixed emotions when our teacher tells us that the fourth and fifth grades do a thing called "rotation" to keep us from being so shocked when middle school comes around. Apparently, we now have three teachers instead of just one. The other teachers aren't nice enough to let us choose our own seats, but it doesn't matter because I end up close to Danny anyway.

After a week or two, Danny starts to get bored while waiting in our bus line and starts trying to get into my backpack saying he's searching out important information. He's so funny when he starts in on this, but it's also kinda annoying. I know I can outsmart him though and one day, there's a lock on my bag to keep him out. However, instead of discouraging him, he only tries harder to get into my stuff. I laugh along with him and finally let him get inside my bag, but he realizes that he couldn't find anything in it if he really wanted to.

My birthday comes around in September while Danny's is in July. Since his birthday is during summer, he waits until a month or so into the school year to have a birthday party. My grandparents are going on a trip, so I have my birthday party early this year. Somehow, we managed to schedule our parties on the same day!

Luckily, his party starts two hours after mine ends so I just get a ride from his parents over to his party after mine ends. I meet his parents for the first time when they come to take both of us over to Target to get Danny's cake and then to Chuck E. Cheese's for his party. I like his parent's; they're a little eccentric and sometimes their driving scares me, but they are fun people to be around and they keep me, Danny, and Jazz all in a good mood during the trip.

We take all sorts of pictures at Danny's party, some with Jazz and a some without. Mrs. Fenton says she'll have Danny give me copies of them in a few days as my parents come to pick me up.

I realize how gullible Danny can be one day in the bus line when Tucker manages to convince him that we're all elementals. I play along though, deciding to see how long it takes him to figure it out on his own. He and Tucker come to the conclusion that I have Dark powers while they have Light. I'm half convinced it's because I'm a girl, but I don't really mind - the dark leaves you a little more room to be yourself.

The school year zips by and before we know it, Thanksgiving comes and goes, followed by Hanukah, the new year, the stupid Northwestern Nine Standardized Testing, and Spring Break. Right after Spring Break, my Granny gives me a CD of all the Nightmare Before Christmas songs and Danny loves them as much as I do. The first time he hears "Kidnap the Sandy Claws," he tells me to replay it because he forgot to take notes when we reach the end.

"Danny, you silly head! Santa doesn't exist!"

Danny laughs. "I know that."

No! I'm losing the image! Damn it! It's fading to black like the final scene of a movie. Why the hell don't I remember more from back then? I didn't love him back then, but I know I was still pretty attached to him by the end of our fourth grade year. I know there's hundreds of scenes that I just don't remember, but did they slip my mind so easily? It's pretty obvious to me now why things in short supply are so much more valuable to us.

* * *

_What's this? A weekend update? It is! :D_

_Secondly... HOLY CRAP! Three chapters and I already have 23 reviews and over 350 views. *faints* That's the most I've ever gotten so early in a story, so thank you! :D_

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

_(...woah...lots of smilies again...)_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	5. Chapter 5

**Anyone who limits her vision to memories of yesterday is already dead.**

**Lillie Langtry**

* * *

"Danny, you need to eat." Mom hadn't left me alone all day, but I guess I couldn't blame her. In the past two and a half weeks, I think I've only had anything to eat every other day or so and even then it's only been something substantial once or twice. I know I need to eat, even my ghost half is complaining about the lack of energy now.

"I'll eat later." I'll eat later when I'm kicked out of the room so the nurses can bathe Sam and make sure her condition hasn't worsened.

"This isn't healthy, Danny. Most people would have collapsed by now. What good would it do her if she woke up to find you'd fainted from a lack of food and sleep?"

I had to let her have that point. "Will you leave me alone if I promise to eat a real meal when they kick me out in an hour or so?" Even though I knew I needed to eat before mom really started freaking out about me, I still refused to leave her side any sooner than I had to.

"Fine, but you're eating my definition of a real meal, not yours." She went silent for a few minutes before I heard from her again. "You know, for someone so dedicated, you really are clueless, sweetie."

"I still don't get what people mean by that," I muttered.

Mom placed a hand on my shoulder as she responded. "Start with the here and now. Why are you so intent on staying with her?" I didn't get a chance to even try to answer as mom left the room to go get food for herself. I was left alone with Sam and the question mom had asked.

Why was I so intent on staying with her?

* * *

Was it fifth grade already? I can hardly believe it, but here I am, walking down the hall to my class room. I've heard this teacher is really strict and the fact that she will mainly serve as our math teacher isn't helping. Math is boring, there is no way around that. Danny shares a classroom with me again, and I can hardly believe I've been lucky enough to have him here with me every year since I've met him.

We get our first project of the year three weeks into school during our Computer Lab class. Our Computer class isn't too bad, but it wasn't our choice. Every grade and class gets these things called Specials during the week. For fifth grade, it's P.E., Art, Music, Computer Lab, and Science Discovery. They used to make us sit through a Spanish class instead of Science Discovery, but they stopped that this year for some reason.

In the Computer room, we're doing a mini-unit on weather and using Photo Story to make a presentation about clouds. Danny's reaction to hearing mine and checking over my work is funny. The only thing I really got out of his evaluation sheet is on my third picture on cumulonimbus clouds where I accidentally stressed the word "fluffy" in my voice over. He gave me lots of check marks and smileys and even doodled in a little thumbs up in the box next to the slide. He can't seem to stop referencing that for the rest of the day.

One day, on the bus, I catch sight of him reading some book, but it's not one any sane person would read. I can't possibly imagine why, but he's reading a dictionary! I think he's lost his mind, but he denies it. I just laugh at him every time I see him reading it and I think he keeps doing it just to bug me. I don't think he's even really reading it anymore, I haven't heard any new words out of him!

We learned early on that there would be more than on field trip this year. We were fifth graders now, and they wanted our last year of elementary school to be the best yet. The first one is actually educational, but it wasn't any fun. It was raining all day for the first day we were there and the second day we were all miserable walking around in the mud. The rain was so bad the first day, me and Danny almost decided to just skip the second day.

A few weeks after the first fieldtrip of the year, my mom got me some lip gloss. I groaned when I first saw it, but I took it with me to school to keep her happy. Danny was hilarious when he saw it.

"I thought you were safe, Sam!" I couldn't help but laugh at his feigned horrified expression and the tone of his voice. He was funny and that alone almost made the stupid lip gloss worth having. It was fun to mess with him even though he never really got mad at me.

* * *

_Yeah, it's short, but that's because I found a flaw in my planning and cut the chapter in half to give Danny the extra scene he needs to have...for reasons... :P I'll have more up tomorrow to finish it off! :D_

_*mutters to self* ...now to go rant in a random, pointless one-shot..._

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	6. Chapter 6

**"Sharing tales of those we've lost is how we keep from really losing them."**

**― Mitch Albom, _For One More Day_**

* * *

"Sam." To say I was starting to lose it was an understatement. My heart hurt to see her like this and to know she got here by helping me. I'd say it were killing me if I weren't already half dead.

Mom's question rang out strong and clear in my mind. Why was I so intent on staying with her every second through all of this? Tucker, all of our parents, and even Jazz had come, but I was the only one that refused to leave unless I absolutely had to. Maybe part of it was because I felt like this was at least partially my fault, but...something told me that wasn't it, at least not completely.

I wish I could say I'm staying because she's my best friend, but Tucker is nearly as close to her as I am and while he's here when he can be, he's yet to drop everything to be by her side. I let out a small laugh as I realize Tucker's probably about ready to smack me upside the head, yelling "figure it out already, you idiot."

The only answer I can find scares me more than Pariah Dark or even Dan ever did.

This is so hard to finally admit, even within the confines of my own mind. I..I have feelings for her, and we're the only ones that didn't see it. I don't want to say I like her; that would feel like I'm comparing how I feel for her to how I felt for Valerie or even Paulina when I know it's not that.

But if it doesn't feel right to say I like her, then what the hell is it?

* * *

The second field trip of the year comes around, but I'm not too fond of it. I don't like the circus. There are too many people, and more importantly, there are too many people I don't know. While the circus itself doesn't entertain me, the trips to and from it do because me and Danny have a new game to play.

We make little dogs out of our fingers by putting our middle and ring fingers on our thumb and raising the other two up like ears. Danny's dog is named Latex Dog and he deemed mine to be his side kick Ziploc Puppy. When our characters have training fights, Danny always beats me, but I think it's rigged in his favor. He can make balloons and fill them with just about anything he wants, but my Ziploc Puppy can't do much more than trap him in a bag. It's annoying, but I'm willing to let him get away with it, maybe I'll outsmart him eventually.

Our history and science teacher has started us on a unit in electricity and after we take our test over where all the states are (which I can never seem to really get down) we all get to build some simple circuits in our groups. Since Tucker isn't in our class this year, me and Danny are almost always sitting alone, and this time is no different. It doesn't matter to us though, since I've spent a lot of time around his parents, both of us have learned the basics of how these things work and with most of our parts already connected, we're done within about a minute.

Well, we would have been if Danny hadn't dropped the tiny light bulb on the table and broken it. I tease him for it and he just sticks his tongue out before our teacher gives us a new one and we complete our circuit just as she's walking out the door to go talk to another teacher for a second.

It's then that I here it, it's then that I here the first of several comments from that idiot, Dash.

When Danny broke the light bulb, he drew attention to the fact that it was just us sitting together and that wasn't a detail Dash forgot.

"It figures you and your girlfriend would finish first, geek." Did he just call me Danny's boyfriend? Ew. I didn't have a problem with being around Danny, but I didn't want to be his girlfriend! We were in the fifth grade and I didn't want to be anyone's girlfriend, much less Danny's!

"She's not my girlfriend!" "I'm not his girlfriend!" We said in unison, barely noticing that we had spoken at the same time. I wasn't his girlfriend and I didn't want to be called something I wasn't!

"You can deny it all you want, but we all know you're dating!" I wanted to hit him, but the teacher chose that moment to walk back in, my revenge would have to wait.

I never did get revenge on Dash, but I didn't hear about it again, so it was okay.

It was now two weeks before school let out for the year and the fifth grade was getting ready for it's final trip of the year. We were going to a baseball game. It wasn't something that interested me much, but we were allowed to choose our own seats for this trip, so I got to sit next to Danny and Tucker the whole time. The game was boring, but Danny and I kept ourselves busy with Latex Dog and Ziploc Puppy while Tucker pulled a DS out of seemingly nowhere.

We talked and played the whole day except for when there was some sort of break in the game itself and the announcer person started playing the SpongeBob Square Pants theme. Danny hated it, he said his parents didn't let him watch it because it was full of nothing but stupidity, he didn't mind his parents' ban on it though since he hated it just as much. I just laughed at him when he covered his ears and started pretending to bang his head on the seat in front of him.

As we leave one class at a time, the mascot of the local team is handing out pictures of himself with a fake autograph on it. I take one, not because I enjoyed watching the game or found the guy entertaining. I take it so I can put it in my scrapbook so I don't forget this day. The tied game may not have done much for me, but I spent almost all of it with Danny, and I have a feeling that's something I'll never want to forget.

* * *

_Yeah...I said I'd have this up yeaterday...I lied, life ate up a bit of my time... Oh well, you have it now! :D_

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	7. Chapter 7

**Wow...I made more errors than usual... Don't mind me, I'm just fixing them.**

* * *

My mind was whirling with no signs of stopping to sit still for even the shortest moment and seeing both my parents walk in looking slightly worried did not help. I figured this was just going to be another "you need to be taking care of yourself' lectures, but I was wrong.

"Danny, we need to talk." There were only about a million different things mom could mean by that.

"What about? I'm not neglecting my needs anymore." To them, it might have looked like it, but I really wasn't. My body just didn't need nearly as much of the basic human necessities as the normal human did.

"It's not about that, son." Shit, after dad's statement I could already tell my slip up a week ago was about to come back around to bite me in the ass.

Mom sighed and grabbed my hand. "Danny, we need to know what you meant the other day. When you said something about Phantom?" Why? Why did they have to start putting the pieces together now?

"It doesn't matter." I couldn't look her in the eye.

"Yes, it does Danny. It wouldn't be eating at you if it didn't matter." She stopped and I practically heard her next words before she said them. "We hate to put this on you with everything that's been going on, but we need to know so we can help you through this."

"It's nothing you can help me with." I already knew how this was going to end, I didn't have the will to hide it anymore.

"Danny," dad had pulled out his powerful "you're not getting off that easily" voice. "No one is leaving this room until we know what's going on."

Maybe it was the stress of seeing Sam the way she was, maybe it was the confusion from trying to piece together how I really felt about her, maybe it was the long repressed wish to just tell them, or maybe it was a combination of it all, but I felt what little was left of my resolve crack.

"I…" I sighed. "Can we get Jazz in here first?" I needed someone with a level head in here for this.

"Sure we can, honey, but why do you need her?"

"Because she already knows and I need someone here to moderate if this goes badly." Mom just nodded in response to the answer I'd given her question. Under normal circumstances, she would have questioned me farther, but these were not normal circumstances by a long shot. Mom stepped outside for a moment and Jazz appeared when she came back in.

"You sure about this, little brother?" Jazz could probably tell I really wasn't in any sort of emotional condition to be making this kind of decision, but that didn't stop me

"No, but that's not going to change my mind." Jazz just nodded with a worried look on her face. I didn't bother with giving out any sort of backstory or explanation before I let my secret out, I just let the rings of my transformation wash over me. "I'm Danny Phantom, okay?" I said nothing more, I just left poor Jazz to explain this to our shocked parents while I disappeared back into my own thoughts.

What the hell was I really feeling for Sam?

* * *

Sixth grade is here and with it comes the shock of middle school. Eight different classes a day and only one with Danny. Even though we are in most of the same courses, his decision to take orchestra for a year along with choir gave us completely different schedules. To top it all off, I have the joy of a half-hour walk to school in the mornings and after school now. At least I get to spend those walks with Danny.

I joined choir this year, but it was mainly because I needed two electives and of the four options given to sixth graders, Discovery and Choir are the only two that don't require me to lug an instrument home. Three weeks in, Danny is already whining about trying to carry his viola to and from his house. I just laugh and tell him it's his own dang fault.

I never thought I'd ever say this...but there's a really cute, smart guy in a few of my classes. I don't want to date him (come one, I'm not even twelve yet) but apparently a few off handed glances is all it takes for ...bitches like Paulina start spreading rumors around about you liking a guy. Only two weeks into the school year and there's crap going around about me. I'm twelve! I don't like anyone yet! Danny's the only one with half a chance at really capturing my heart at this age, and I don't even like him!

Wait...did I just imply that I could fall for my best friend eventually?

I'm going to ignore that for now.

In November, Jazz lets it slip that Danny has a little crush on me, but I don't think I really believe her too much. He couldn't like me like that, could he? She must have heard something wrong. It's not like he really wants to date me at this age, right?

I find myself bored in gym and wishing I had Danny there to entertain me. Tucker's in that class, but we aren't very close yet. We're kinda friends, but when Danny's not around, we don't talk a whole lot. This class doesn't even give me a real challenge. It's official, I'm going into the athletics program next year. Even if I suck at sports, I'm still going into it just for the challenge of the off season.

Danny tends to slack off in math, the only class I actually have with him, and it shows. Anyone can tell he does have a brain up there and our teacher can tell he could be doing way better than he is, but he just won't pay attention. It comes back to haunt him at the end of the year. Our teacher (who everyone else seems to hate though I actually like her) is creating a class of the smartest kids for our seventh and eighth grade years to give us a chance to get a year ahead of everyone else if we can keep up. Tucker and I both get invited to it, but Danny's slacking has cost him that opportunity. He'll have to tough it out friendless next year and the year after that. I could say I feel sorry for him, but it's his own fault.

Sixth grade passes by in a flash, and I realize there aren't a whole lot of specific moments I remember, just generalizations. I came to realize that I really do depend on Danny to be there to keep me from falling into the abyss of loneliness. I realized that I really need a challenge somewhere in my life just too keep me sane and that people like Paulina do nothing but piss me off to no end.

The familiar blackness is back, but all I can think of is why my memories turned into generalizations in that year rather than specific moments.

Then I hear something. One sentence from the world just outside my mind.

"I'm Danny Phantom, okay?" Something nags at me that I should be worried about hearing that, but I'm not, mainly because I don't really have time to process it before I'm sucked back down into a new strain of memories.

* * *

_Why is it that my scrapbook kinda drops off right where my memories do? I would manage to not get any pictures of the one year I remember almost nothing of. -_-_

_Anyway, comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

**The disadvantages of working with a beta-version of OneNote. It always thinks it's right. -_-**

* * *

_Invisible One_


	8. Chapter 8

**You can't recover memories of a missing event. That's a fallacy.**

**Betty Hill**

* * *

My parents were shocked at my revelation, that much wasn't hard to figure out. At least they had Jazz to work her magic and give them some form of understanding. I'm not sure exactly what she said, I stayed detached in my own little head for most of the conversation. I could deal with whether or not they accepted me, much less whether or not I was in a shit load of trouble, later. I could deal with that after Sam was okay.

Sam. Good god, if she heard me now she'd probably tell me was starting to get obsessive, like with out first run in with Ember. She'd probably just blush a little and look away if I said it was just because I was worried about her. Now that I really think about it, she does that a lot more with me than anyone else.

Is that why they always call me clueless? Because I missed things like that up until now? But why would she react to me like that? There's no reason to… I mean, not unless…

No. I'm just reading too far into things. Who am I to try deciphering her feelings when I haven't put a label on my own?

But I have, haven't I? I know what it is...I'm just too scared to think it much less say it aloud.

Maybe we're too young for me to be thinking it's even possible, but the word sounds...no, feels...right in my head and heart.

I..I… god, this is hard to admit… I...I'm in love with her, okay? I admit it to the world that I love Samantha Manson...even if admitting it to the world consists of saying it within the confines of my own mind at the moment.

My parents get up and Jazz follows silently behind as they announce they are going to get some food, asking if I want anything as they walk out. I tell them no, just like nearly every other time. At least they're making an attempt to treat me the same way; even if they don't fully accept me, they obviously don't hold a pure hatred for me just because of what I am. There's one thing going for me.

The look on Sam's face is so peaceful as she just lays there, eyes closed, living through something while she's trapped within the confines of her mind. I hope she comes back soon. I love her, and she's my best friend - life is hell without her.

What am I going to do if I ever really lose her? Not just to something temporary, but to something permanent.

Lose my mind and sanity, that's probably what I'll end up doing if I ever really lose her. Hell, I'm coming pretty damn close even with her right here with me.

I'm not sure what causes it, but I feel the need to say what I feel aloud, even if she can't really hear me. I'll probably never do it if I don't do it now.

I chuckle a little as I realize just how clueless one has to be to be in the dark about their own feelings until something like this happens. "If you could hear what I'm about to say, I'm not sure whether you'd freak out or not. I'd hope not, I'd also hope it wouldn't make things awkward between us. I love you, and I have for quite a while, but didn't really realize it." I sighed as I finally finished slowly working my way through that confession. I grabbed her hand, holding onto her almost the same way I was trying to hold onto the courage that had let me say how I really feel aloud.

With any luck, I'd be able to say it when she wakes up, when she could really hear me.

* * *

Yet another new school year. Happy, happy, joy, joy. This year, I get to deal with a class full of idiots since the school couldn't fit Pre-AP history into my schedule. To top it all off, I haven't got a single class with Danny. I only see him during the walks home from school and occasionally he'll get a word or two in during lunch and in the halls. I do start getting closer to Tuck though as he slowly begins to drool over not only Paulina, but also her little satellite, Star. He's a really smart guy, so why the hell is he trying to chase after those idiots? Boys can't really be swayed by looks that easily, can they?

At least Danny hasn't been pulled quite as far into the abyss of shallow girls as Tuck has. His first girlfriend actually isn't a shallow little popular bitch; it's a Goth girl who goes by the name of Allie. He doesn't tell his parents about her though, he doesn't want any embarrassing conversations with his dad about girls yet. She's a grade above us, but that doesn't stop Danny from falling head over heels for her and then some. It's kinda cute to see him running to her side every chance he gets and how he gets slightly depressed when she can't answer a phone call. It's cute, but it also hurts just a little for some reason. I start to realize why one day as we're just aimlessly walking around his neighborhood.

I'm not sure what exactly prompted it, but as some point I call him my Danny. I know he isn't really mine, but it still hurts when he says he's Allie's Danny and my best friend. I'd never really given much thought to us being together, but I'd also never thought of anyone keeping us apart. Maybe in a way, I'd always just thought it'd be the two of us, and the two of us alone.

Some days, I don't really like to acknowledge it, but I can see just how much Danny cares for Allie, hence why I get the strong urge to rip her face off when she breaks up with him at the end of the school year. You know what? Maybe he wasn't mine, but that sure as hell didn't mean I was going to just stand by and watch his heart get broken when he didn't deserve it.

It takes me weeks to piece the broken Danny back together again, and he's pretty sensitive to even the smallest, longest running, teasing remarks for the first few days. I jokingly called him a clueless idiot once and he got pretty pissed off at me. That was the first real fight we had and it came from a combination of him being too hard headed to realize I honestly didn't mean to put him down and me being too stubborn to realize he wasn't lashing out at me just because of what I said. He was lashing out because he had nowhere else to vent his frustrations.

After a few days, Tuck intervened and set things right, but it wasn't until after the fact that I realized I should have just let him work out his frustration. I didn't deserve what he was throwing out, but I should have known he didn't mean it, not really. At least he got enough out before Tucker cut in that he's pretty calm now.

As he finally moves on from his first real relationship, I see him starting to do the same thing Tucker does. He's started drooling over the popular bitches. Good god, he's going to get himself in trouble. He doesn't have a chance at any of them, but on the bright side, they'll never be able to crush him nearly as much as Allie did.

I know that that should be the end of our seventh grade year, but something is keeping me there. Suddenly, I feel my phone buzz in my pocket as I'm reading something on the internet.

**Don't freak out when you see it, it will almost definitely make several things awkward.**

That was only the first half of the message, but I'm close enough to the surface of reality to know this didn't really happen.

**I love you, and I have for quite a while, but didn't really realize it.**

That half only solidifies the fact that this isn't a real memory. He never said anything about having any feelings for me at all, much less those of love. Well, that and the fact that the grammar is pretty damn good if not perfect - Danny tends to drop his apostrophes and capital letters when he texts.

But if it isn't a real memory, then why the hell am I seeing it now? I guess it just goes to show that memories can't always be relied upon.

* * *

_For those of you reading Blood Roses: yes, I did just reference the exact same memory in two different stories. Get over it. :P_

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always. :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	9. Chapter 9

**"Everybody needs his memories. They keep the wolf of insignificance from the door."**

**―Saul Bellow**

* * *

If it was possible, I would have killed the Box Ghost again, several times over. On the best of days, he was an annoyance, but now he was a royal pain in the ass. Enough so that I wanted to put his head on my wall.

Skulker would be proud.

These violent thoughts are becoming more and more frequent, and I'm not sure what to make of that. I'm stressed and irritable because she still hasn't woken up yet. If this lasts much longer, I'm going to lose my mind and sanity. As it stands, I sometimes worry that I've already lost my mind.

Damn it! Why isn't she here, by my side, where she's supposed to be?

Why am I even asking that? I know the answer; it's because of me. She was in the line of fire helping me and I couldn't protect her, I couldn't keep her safe.

This is all my fault. I don't care what Jazz and everyone else says, this is my fault. She was my responsibility, and I didn't do my job.

Damn it, Sam. Just come back to me. Please.

* * *

Summer was boring, no surprise there. Danny had been dragged out of state to go visit family all summer and Tucker was god only knows where the whole time. I spent most of it holed up in my room, though most of that was by choice. Through hours of boredom relieving decorating, I'd managed to get my room to a perfectly creepy state that I loved even if my mother just about had a heart attack upon seeing the finished product.

Had I known she'd have reaction, I'd have done this years ago.

In addition to my room, my wardrobe has also began to include black, another thing that freaked my mother out. Granny talked her into letting me keep it though, thank god. I don't know if I would have been able to stand being forced into any more of the girly shit that had been in my wardrobe for god only knows how long.

School returns, and I'm debating whether to rejoice in the return of my only friends, or curse the return of work; I'll do my work without complaint, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Once again, I have precisely zero classes with Danny, though I still have math and art with Tucker and I still walk home from school with Danny. We don't walk to school together anymore since he's gotten worse and worse about leaving on time since the sixth grade and with athletics in the mornings, I'm not willing to risk being late. At either twenty-five squat jumps or a 400-meter sprint (not jog or run_, sprint_)per minute late, you wouldn't want to risk it either. It feels good to work out in the mornings, but I don't want any extra, the workout off-season gets is hard enough as it stands.

In November, the cross country season starts and while I know I'm built more for short distances, I join the team - I figure I ought to do more than just the high jump if I'm going to be in the athletics program. Besides, a good challenge never hurt anyone.

Well, it never hurt anyone but Danny.

Two weeks into the start of the season, Danny decides to give it a shot since cross country is one of the only two sports open to all students, not just those in the athletics program. He failed...miserably. I managed to get his ass to practice on time, but whether or not he would do well was out of my hands. Though, it probably would have helped if the idiot had worn shorts instead of sweats. It was warm enough most people wouldn't bother with a jacket outside, much less wearing sweats on a mile and a half timed run. He finished last at over twenty minutes...and puked right as he hit the last hundred meter span.

I love him to death, but sports are not his thing.

We are going to ignore the love comment; he's my best friend, nothing more… even if I did notice he's a pretty good looking guy one day as he came out to meet me for our walk home.

Walking home with him is slightly annoying at times. I can only listen to so much about how perfectly perky Paulina's boobs are or how perfectly shaped Star's ass is. Honestly, I'd rather he just go back to going on and on about cars or ranting about his parent's projects and the neon sign they planned to put up in the next month. Sometimes I swear he doesn't even realize he's talking to a GIRL about those things. I don't care to hear about boobs, thank you very much.

Then again, how badly can I really ding him about obsessing over such insignificant and shallow things? He wouldn't admit to it if I asked, but I'm pretty sure the obsession over boobs and asses this year is partly a defense mechanism. Allie really hurt him last year and I think part of the reason he's going after things that don't really matter is so that he won't get himself hurt again.

I swear to god though, if any of those shallow bitches lead him on, I'm going to personally strangle them. It was bad enough seeing him get hurt once, I don't want to see it again.

Dash Baxter though, is someone I will probably end up strangling anyway. The dumbass keeps trying to convince the rest of the student body that Danny and I are dating. No matter how many times we both tell him that's not the case, he keeps right on at it and I'm pretty sure at least half the student body believes it on some level or another.

If I hadn't seen him run on the football field when my coaches had the girls running on the track around the field, I'd have probably tried to kick his ass. However, I knew that wouldn't end well and had to settle for glares and smart remarks that flew right over head.

In April of our eighth grade year, we get a field trip to a renaissance fair. Sadly, I get stuck in a different group than Danny and Tucker and wind up having to spend the day around some girls I don't know. They aren't that bad, but two of them are good little Christian girls to the extreme and there is only so much I can take of that. I usually don't mind hearing about the beliefs of other people and that sort of thing, but I wasn't in the mood for it today. I just wanted to enjoy the fair. Honestly, nothing much happens on the trip, but I do buy myself a rose and get it covered in purple wax. It looks pretty neat.

On the way home from school the day of the trip. I'm carrying my wax covered rose and Danny suddenly steals it and runs a little down the bike path we take to get home before stopping and turning to give it to me in the cutest way. I think my heart fluttered a little bit before I reminded myself that we were best friends, and that's it. Falling for him would make things way too complicated and I didn't want to make one of the few friendships I really had complicated.

When you're a loner, sometimes you have to choose love or keeping away from the risk of being all alone again. I'd rather not risk losing one of the only two friends I had.

* * *

_...it's not TECHNICALLY a late update..._

_On a different side note._

_Long story short, I no longer have any blow off classes in school and while I will try to keep my updates coming on time, I will not promise anything. While I'd much rather spend my time writing, Algebra 2 and AP World History have to come first._

_Anyway, comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	10. Chapter 10

She hadn't gotten any worse, but she also hadn't gotten any better. Sam was still out like a light, she was still dead to the world around her. It was heartbreaking to see Sam, my Sam, the girl who never gave up and never took no for an answer, lying in that hospital bed and looking so fragile when I knew just how damn strong she really was.

It was worse knowing that it was my inability to do my job that put her there. Worse still that I was the clueless idiot that didn't realize how I really felt until it felt like she was slowly slipping away from me.

Good god, I'm going crazy.

OoO (line break)

Ninth grade, joy. A new school and a new sea of people I don't know. Absolutely lovely. On the bright side, I have English with Danny so I'm not alone in all my classes anymore. The bad part is that he was almost instantly picked out as a loser and the pair of us picked out as lovebirds. Maybe I'll admit to having feelings for him, but there is no way he'll ever feel the same way for me, not if he's still chasing after shallow bitches like Paulina.

He does realize he doesn't stand a chance with her, right?

The year start off pretty boring: Danny getting bullied, me being called his girlfriend, and Tucker under the insane impression that he's better at catching girls than he really is. It's all boring and predictable.

Then, two months into school, the accident happened and everything changed.

Suddenly, we weren't just the local trio of losers. Well, to the public eye we are, but we know we're so much more. Maybe we were the ones responsible for the appearance of the ghosts (probably Danny and I more so than Tucker, but he didn't exactly fight Danny going into the portal), but we are also the ones keeping these damn ghosts from taking over.

It is awkward at first, between trying to figure out how the hell to help Danny get his powers under control, keeping him positive about who he is now, and not failing, but I'm hell bent on doing it and so are the boys.

Maybe this whole thing is bigger than what we're really ready to handle, but a good challenge never hurt anyone.

Though, I suppose it is only fair to concede that in this case, that challenge could easily kill. My days of taking a challenge just for the hell of it are over; that just isn't a risk any of us can afford to take anymore.

Reliving all those old fights, from the first encounter with the ectopusses to the latest of Vlad's evil schemes, shows how hard we've worked to make this happen and what we've managed to accomplish because of it.

That's when I realize something: my memories are receding and I'm not being drawn into a new strand of them

OoO

The room was dark as she finally came to, her mind slowly realized it was night.

No one was there to hear her as she finally reawoke from her stay within the confines of her mind. No one was there to hear her call out in a weak voice, hoping someone would tell her what the hell was going on. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it registered that it was the middle of the night and that was likely why there was no one around. Then it occurred to her that a nurse should be nearby at all hours of the night, especially considering the type of care her parents were due to be paying for.

She called out again and noticed how easy it was to tell her voice had remained unused for quite a while. This time, a nurse was at her side within seconds. Sam's parents appeared a few minutes later. Then, the Fentons and finally, after phasing through both walls and floors in order to reach her fastest, Danny appeared.

His face lit up in a smile that drowned out her worry of him using his powers so freely in front of spectators. Sam was sure there was something she missed that kept him from caring whether people knew or not. She was about to question him when he suddenly grabbed her up in a bone crushing hug.

"I am so sorry." She knew he was blaming himself for something that wasn't his fault. She was the one that wasn't paying enough attention to the fight, not him. Hell, had he not been paying attention, she'd probably be dead right now.

She wanted to tell him these things, but her voice wouldn't work between disuse and the deathgrip Danny held on her frail body.

Danny took in a deep breath, as if convincing himself to do something before he finally opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm never letting you out of my sight in a fight again. Life is hell without you and...And I... Damn it, I love you, Sam." He muttered the next bit while Sam tried to figure out what to say. She knew exactly how she felt, but she still needed to find her words. "Please don't ever leave me again."

* * *

AN(ish):Hi guys. Asa's computer broke, so she had me help her upload this.  
I'm Fish. If any of you read Blood Roses or Ghostly Games, you'll know me. I'm Asa's cousin, and I beta for her some of the time. Not on this, but on some of her other stories.  
Rather pointless introduction, but if my cousin doesn't fix her computer soon, I'll be uploading more things for her.

Anyways... I'm sure you guys want your actual author note from Asa. Here you go. She doesn't know I put my bit here. Let's see if she finds it. ;P

* * *

AN: So...my computer is rebelling again and has another virus. You can all thank Fish, A.K.A Ratlah, for this update...she is the only reason I was able to get this out. Seriously, she had to update for me...

Anyways, comments and feedback are as welcome as always!

~Invisible One


	11. Chapter 11

Danny held onto his childhood friend for ages until he was pushed away so that a doctor could run a few tests. There were a few irregularities, but everyone was assured there wouldn't be any issues. As the doctor left, Danny rushed back to Sam's side and said girl finally found her voice. It was weak, but she found it.

"Danny?" Her voice was soft, but he heard her loud and clear, well beyond glad to hear her voice again.

"Yeah Sam?" Danny found his nerves slowly working their way into his voice, but who could blame him? He had just told her he loved her, a confession that could do more than make a friendship like theirs a little awkward. He refused to let these nerves get the best of him though and fought to stay strong as he had done in so many deadly battles.  
She was silent for a moment. Even though he'd just told her the very words she'd been hoping to hear for ages now, she still had to fight to get her words out. The first time for things often isn't easy.

"Danny, I...I love you too." Her normally strong voice began to fail her once more as she ended her sentence, but it didn't matter much as Danny wasn't too intent on letting her speak much more. He kissed her without warning with more passion than any of their fake-out make-outs had ever had.

As they separated, he felt dread in his heart only moments before a frazzled Jazz entered the room, her arm at an odd angle, pain in her face, and fear in her eyes.  
"You have no idea how much I hate to do this to you, little brother." Fuck. He could already tell where this was going. Life couldn't let him have just one moment of peace, could it?

He hid the irritation in his eyes before speaking. "What asshole did this to you?" He forced himself not to mention that said asshole was also trying to tear him away from Sam after only just being reunited with her.

"Pariah got loose. Tuck and I can't handle him on our own. Even with Valerie and Vlad, he's still kicking our butts." Danny had to admire that Jazz had managed to speak without a single painful wince or even chopping up her sentences even with the clearly broken arm on her left side.

The hybrid's eyes glowed bright green as his anger and powers surfaced. "I am going to rip that bastard to pieces." He closed his eyes for a second, forcing himself to calm down. He wasn't going to just storm out, he wanted to be relatively calm as he left Sam, and he knew that allowing his anger too much power only led to mistakes.

He turned to Sam only to see her usual smirk on her face. "Go kick some ass for me, okay?"

He smiled in turn. "I will. I'll be back for you Sam."

"I know you will be. I'd have to kick your ass if you didn't." She meant her words. Well, at least the first part; she was still deciding on the second.

* * *

I watched as he flew out through the wall and couldn't shake the sense of foreboding settling in my heart. I just knew this wasn't going to be an ordinary fight, though I could do little more than pray that he would come out okay in the end. This was Danny; of course he'd be okay, right?

But if that was true, then why couldn't I shake the feeling that something huge was about to happen?

Then, as I lay there waiting for his promised returned, I felt myself slipping again. No, damnit! I was not going to get trapped in my own mind again. Not now when there was something telling me that he was going to need me soon.

And yet, no matter how hard I fought to fight against the growing black around my vision, I couldn't keep it at bay.

I was going back under, right when Danny would need me most.

* * *

_Sorry it is a touch short... My computer is still down for the count. On the bright side, my school has provided all AP kids with an iPad for class, so I can still update while I wait for my dad to stop working and laughing at me long enough to fix my computer._

_Comments and feedback are as welcome always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	12. Chapter 12

_You__ are all about to hate me..._

* * *

Where the hell was I? it looked like one of the various school hallways I'd walked down thousands of times over the course if the past year, but there was a fuzzy quality about it, something that just screamed at me that whatever I was seeing wasn't real.

Then I vaguely remembered seeing Danny earlier and his sister saying something that really pissed him off before he flew off. There was a fight they needed him for, right? And wasn't that just after he told me he loved me? But, those events had taken place in a hospital room, not the middle of Casper High, so where was I?

It suddenly hit me that I was once more trapped within the confines of my mind. The damned doctors had said that the irregularities weren't anything to be worried about, too. Fucking idiots. It was partially their fault I was trapped her again, among the images of people I recognize but don't actually associate with. It was their fault I wouldn't be there after Danny finished the fight.

Slowly, the idea that none of this is real slowly fades away leaving nothing but a sense of a fuzzy reality, as if I'm living my life through the eyes of another person.

I force my way through each day, sitting numbly through classes without ever actually absorbing anything. It's okay though, because of the school's blocked schedule, all I have this semester are blow-off courses. Latin and English only require thought if you're a complete idiot, Chemistry only reviewed things I'd learned from the Fentons long ago, and Choir...well, if you couldn't pass Choir, there was a serious issue. Every once in a while I get the nagging feeling that none of this is happening and that I'm merely imagining days in these classes, but I force the notion away. It would only make things harder on me.

I don't know where Danny's gone, I haven't seen hide or tail of him all year. He never said a real goodbye, all I have is a fuzzy memory of him saying he'd be back. Danny said he'd be back, and damn it, I will wait for hm. He's my Danny, nothing but death itself is going to take him from me. He said he'd be back, and I will hold him to that.

But, for now, all I have are the memories that play themselves on repeat and the occasional fantasy (some more innocent than others...I blame teenage hormones for the less than innocent ones...) that forces itself into my mind. At lunch, I feel like I'm eight again as I sit on the benches all alone as the crowd passes by. I talk to Tuck sometimes, but he's slowly drifted away from me. Even after all we've been through with Danny, he's started to drift away after Danny disappeared. Maybe it's because I never really fell like talking anymore. I finally realized I loved Danny, and he disappeared altogether. That really is just my luck, no one else could possibly be such a complete failure when it comes to matters of the heart.

"There's a girl, who sits under the bleachers,

Just another day eating alone.

Though she smiles, there is something she's hiding,

She can't find a way to relate.

And she just goes unnoticed, as the crowd passes by.

And she'll pretend to be busy when inside,

She just wants to cry."

I found that song a long time ago, but now it plays on repeat in my head most days. Without Danny, I am invisible. No one really gives a damn about plain old Samantha Manson unless they care to know what happened to their favorite little punching bag.

If only they knew the kind of damage he could really do if he only cared to.

I'm no idiot, I know I've fallen into a state of depression without Danny by my side, but that doesn't mean I want to give up on him. He is my Danny, and he will come back.

Or, at least that's what I keep telling myself.

* * *

I saw the blast only a second before it hit. The next thing I knew, every nerve ending I had was filled with pain well beyond anything I was used to. I fell to the ground, fighting the instinct to hold the wound only because it was everywhere. The rings of my transformation washed over me without any form of my own control and the pain I thought could be no worse only strengthened in intensity.

In an insane moment of clarity, I realized this was the end. I was dying and there wasn't a damned thing anyone could do about it. No one knew enough about halfa biology to save me if they tried.

I had promised Sam I'd be back, and I lied. I wouldn't make it back to her. I'd try as hard as inhumanly possible to make it through this, but every part of my logical reasoning told me it just wasn't going to happen.

Tuck appeared by my side, shortly followed by Jazz, then by mom and dad. Everyone I loved, except the girl I had planned to spend the rest of my life with. Life is a cruel mistress, as soon as you bore her, she ruins what little is left of your life by taking the one thing you need most from your grasp.

I summoned what little energy I had left, only to be stopped by mom. "Save your energy, Danny. You will get through this."

I gave a weak laugh. "Bullshit. I love you mom, but I know I'm not going to make it." I focused what was left of my energy once more and forced it to do something I'd only really bothered with once or twice. I formed a rose out of ecto-energy and forced it to become purple. I hoped she would get the reference when she saw it. I meant it to remind her of that day after our eighth grade trip to the faire when I jokingly ran off with the rose she'd gotten and waxed coated for her. That was the day I first realized I felt something for her, I just chose to ignore it. Now, it was something for her to remember me by.

I held the little rose up, noting my strength was starting to go faster and faster. "Give this to Sam and tell her I love her."

Black started to close in around the edges of my vision as I was lifted into the ambulance to be carried away.

I didn't make as far as the hospital before the flames of pain disappeared and what was left of my life finally slipped away from consciousness.

* * *

_I sense death threats in my future..._

_You all DON'T want to kill me for that... You'll never see the end if you do! :P_

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! (...even if it is in the form of death threats...) :P_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	13. Chapter 13

Where the hell was I and what the hell was going on? Those were the first questions to cross my mind when I came around again. Then, I heard crying in the next room over and felt sorry for whatever family was shedding those tears. I could hear the voices of a mother and father, going on and in about how they should have been there and made him feel safe instead of making him fear being rejected. I could only guess what they were talking about; it could have been anything from being gay to Danny's secret.

Where was Danny, anyway? I'd have figured that he'd be here waiting for me when I woke up. That fight couldn't have taken this long, could it have?

I faintly heard a name that sounded like Danny, but I had to be wrong. It was probably just Johnny or something. Then I heard something about a secret again, and fought the urge to worry about Danny. Danny said he'd be back for me. There was no way that could be him those people were crying about. No way, it just couldn't be possible.

"We hunted him. He was our own son, and we hunted him!" . That could not have been Maddie's voice. I couldn't be. That would mean... No. Danny is okay, he just hasn't made it back to me yet. My mind is just a jumping to conclusions, that's all.

That weak logic was already starting to fail when I heard the next voice. "He didn't tell you because he didn't want his enemies coming after you. I know he doesn't blame you for hunting him, you were just doing your job." That was Jazz's voice, I'd know it anywhere.

"That doesn't change the fact that we hunted him, Jazz!" The mother, Maddie, had broken down hard sobs than she'd been in before. I could faintly hear Jack trying to comfort her.

My eyes were watering when I finally called out for a nurse, or Danny, or someone. Someone to tell me that what I was hearing next door was just some massive coincidence. They couldn't be talking about Danny. My Danny could not be the dead son those people were talking about. My Danny had to still be here, waiting for me.

He was not dead.

"Hello?" My voice was already cracking from the tears I was trying it hold back. Danny wasn't dead, he wasn't.

"Was that Sam?" Maddie's voice, the same one I'd heard earlier.

He's alive. He has to be alive, damn it!

"I think so. We should go see her." That was Jazz. This wasn't happening, I had just misplaced the voices. That's all.

"Sam?" Maddie walked in first, and for a fraction of a second, I wondered where my own parents were before I noticed her eyes were red and puffy.

I prayed to god I was still asleep, that I'd wake up any time now to see his smiling face waiting for me. I tried to believe that, but in my heart, I knew that wasn't true. My life was about to become a living hell.

"Where's Danny?" My voice was shaking and I felt a tear force itself free and run down my face. This was not happening. Danny was alive. Danny was not dead. He'd come flying in any second, right?

The three of them went silent. Dear god, no. No, I wasn't going to believe it. I just wasn't. "Sam, sweetie," tears were starting to fall more and more freely as Mrs. Fenton spoke up, barely reigning in her own emotions. "Danny...he didn't make it back, sweetie."

I went hysterical. " No! No, no, no, no, no! He isn't dead! He...he can't be!" I had broken down well past calming down. God damnit! I'd finally gotten the love of my life and now... I swear to god, I'm the only one this would happen to! "Danny..." His name was a whisper in my lips as my sobbing finally made it impossible to speak.

He was gone. My Danny, my brave, cocky, lovable, goof ball of a hero, was gone, and there wasn't a damned thing I could do about it. I couldn't do anything to bring him back. I couldn't do anything but cry like a baby for god only knows how long.

I ran out of tears after ages. It was then that Maddie pulled out a purple rose. I knew instantly who it came from, a small part of me recognizing the ghostly energy that went into forming it. "He said to tell you he loved you." I could see the emotional walls Maddie had managed to keep up for so long falter as she reached out to hand it to me. Only seconds later, she was pushed out if the room by a combination if nurses and her remaining family. I don't remember the reason, all I knew was that some of my last connections to Danny were being taken from me.

I held the little rose close to my chest as I started to fall asleep. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but it didn't hurt either. I needed to keep a piece of him close to me, and I'd suffer a little discomfort to accomplish that.

"I love you, Danny," I whispered into the thin air around me, hoping there was some way he could hear me. How the hell was I going to live without him? I'd known him since we were eight years old, and now,he had been stripped away from me. I knew I could survive without him, but could I really live?

God damnit. I'd give anything just to so much as speak to him again.

* * *

_Good grief... Excuse me while I go fight the urge to go cry in a corner..._

_In case you haven't noticed, this story is winding down. There is one more chapter, maybe two, before we reach the end. I could do a sequel...but I'm not entirely sure just how far my idea could really go. I'll make an attempt at it if you guys want me to though. :)_

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	14. Chapter 14

I was released from the hospital a week after Danny died, four days after sitting through his funeral and fighting the urge to just lose what little was left of my sanity, and the day after it finally fully hit me that he was really dead. Danny was dead.

Tuck and I spent the first month after my release searching every corner of the Ghost Zone for him, but we couldn't find him and even the Box Ghost and Skulker hadn't seen him anywhere. With that news, what little hope I had of just talking to him again left me as it shattered on the cold, unforgiving ground. If Skulker and the Box Ghost, the two people who could always seem to find him, no matter what the circumstances, couldn't find him, then he was really gone. The most I could hope for was that he was still around, just trapped in a state where he could watch but not interact or be seen. I really was going to have find of way of living without him, but was it really worth it?

When I was forced to go back to school, I expected to find just a little bit if sympathy coming from my classmates since they all knew just how close Danny and I had been, but there was none to be found. They were nice enough at the funeral, but once I entered the building that contained the hell they called highschool, they lost what little humanity I thought they just might have.

I had one day where no one bothered me, then all hell broke lose. The damned jocks weren't happy that they'd lost their favorite punching bag and instead of going after Tucker, they sunk to a new low. I became their new target. I never thought they'd stoop so low as to hit a girl but they did, and at that time, I was still too weak to kick their sorry asses.

Salt was added to the wound when Paulina and the rest of the popular bitches attacked. As soon as I managed to escape the clutches if those damned jocks, Paulina and her little bitch squad would appear to added mental abuse to the physical.

I used to think after years of ghost fighting, I'd be impervious to that sort of shit, but I just couldn't handle it. My life was hell when Danny died, but this was worse and I didn't have anyone to share it with to get it out of my system.

Only Valerie showed me any mercy, and part of that was because she was still trying to come to terms with Danny's secret. She was there when he went down and she saw his final transformation. Valerie was still trying to get over the fact that she'd hunted him for the past two and a half years. I think only his parents had it worse than she did in that aspect of it all.

Two weeks into my stay in hell, I realized I'd lost the main thing that let me think I had any form of a social life. Sure, I could be a sarcastic little bitch when I wanted to be, and maybe that did tend to steer people away from me, but that didn't mean I wanted to feel abandoned as I sat on the long bench in the hall, eating my lunch day after day all alone. Tucker tried to keep our close friendship, but he started to drift away. I'll take most if the blame for that one, I was pretty depressed all the time, well beyond what my usual demeanor called for. The number of times I walked home silently moping to the world could not be counted by the end of the third week.

That had become my life, I was bullied by all the assholes and grade-A bitches the popular crowd had to offer and even when I managed to escape them, I was all alone and depressed as hell. A combination of those things is probably what started it.

By the middle of my second month back at school, I was losing the will to give a damn about anything. Most of my classes had always bored me, being way too easy for me, but now I didn't even have someone to outsmart, someone to at least try to give me a challenge. I knew Danny did have a brain up there, and when we were put side by side inteligence wise, we were probably at the same level. It wasn't fair that ghost hunting had taken away his chance at actually achieving a decent clas rank because he could no longer keep up. I have to agree with him on that one, kicking ghost ass was more important than schoolwork.

But I guess none of that really mattered anymore, did it? He was gone. God damnit, he was gone. The rock in my life was gone. I was all alone as I watched more and more people start to care less and less about him. It didn't take long for the jocks to forget I merely a replacement for their favorite punching bag, and by the time I finally broke down all together, even Valerie and Tucker were starting to move on.

Why the hell was I the only one that still gave a damn about him?

Every fucking night, I fell asleep curled up around that little rose he'd made for me, I'm pretty sure it was only the ghostly energy it was made from that was keeping it from cracking night after night. I cried myself to sleep several nights a week, and even though I knew everyone else in the world was silently telling me to just move the hell on, I couldn't let go. I tried, god knows I tried, but I couldn't do it. Either I was reminded of him by something so small, no one else would have caught it, or I was dreaming about him.

I kept my feelings and emotions hidden at school and everywhere else behind a carefully constructed mask. The funny thing? The fact that people only seemed to realize there was something wrong when I was actually having one of my few good days. Even then, it was always the people I barely knew, the fellow "nerds" and "losers" that sat around me. Life just loves to mess with me, doesn't it?

Then one day, on a whim, I found myself sitting up n my roof, a place I'd never been before Danny got his powers. We used to sit up here all the time, talking, joking, or even just staring at the stars in the night sky. It was so easy in those days, I wasn't alone, I wasn't the jocks damn punching bag, and most importantly, it didn't hurt to actually give a damn about anything, about him.

I looked at my phone, half for the time and half because of the impossible hope that there would be some message to tell me they'd found Danny in the Ghost Zone, that I could talk to him again.

There was no such message, but it was well past midnight – it was about time for me to go to bed and cry myself to sleep, it could already tell this night was going to end in tears.

Then, as I got up, my foot slipped, and the next thing I knew I was falling and sliding down the roof. Part of me was screaming to high hell as I reached the edge of the roof and started the three story fall to the ground but the rest of me wondered if maybe this would be better. I wouldn't have to worry about my shitty, fucked up life anymore if I died right here, and if I was lucky, I might be able to find Danny again.

"SAM!" I thought I was hallucinating as I heard his voice scream out from somewhere near me. I didn't know where it came from, whether it was real or in my head, all I knew was that it was his voice.

Then, I saw the ground approaching fast and that thought fled my mind. I couldn't have been more than two feet from the ground when I felt something grab me, saving me from my collision with the ground.

* * *

_And here ends the second to last chapter of this. I have decided I will be doing a sequel, you'll probably be getting the title for that in the last chapter of this. :)_

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	15. Chapter 15

Strong arms wrapped around me less than a second before what would have been my death. I couldn't see my savior, but I'd know that voice anywhere. Were this under any other circumstances, I'd think I'd finally lost my mind entirely, but insanity doesn't stop a fall two feet from the ground.

I looked around frantically, trying to catch sight of him, but I saw nothing. "Danny?" He was just here, he wouldn't leave me like this, he wouldn't. But where was he?

"I'm here, Sam." I turned to where the voice had come from, but there still was no sign of him.

"I can't see you." Was I just going crazy? Was it possible this was all in my head? After the things that have happened in the past few months, it wouldn't be hard to believe.

No. He was here. Depression was just trying to kill what little hope I had left. He had to be here.

"No one can see me anymore, Sam. It's by pure luck alone you can even hear me." A part of me laughed internally. I'd been practically begging to just talk to him again, I didn't put any thought into actually seeing him. Life was giving me exactly what I asked for, I could talk to him, but not see him.

"What happened to you? Why can't we find you?" Why did I say that? That made it sound like I wasn't going to be able to talk to him at all after this.

"I don't know. I think it has something to do with my powers. I was already half dead, I didn't really have far left to go." His voice was nearly emotionless and I couldn't blame him. It had to suck to exist but have almost no connection to anyone or anything.

"I don't know how much longer I have, Sam. Something's pulling me away." No, damnit! He can't leave me again, he just can't!

I didn't realize I'd spoken aloud until he responded. "I will find you again, okay?" He stopped for a second before speaking again, sadly. "I'll always love you, Sam. Don't put your life in hold for me though, okay? I want you to be happy. Just promise me you'll let yourself move on, okay?." I could hear the desperation in his voice and I could tell he only said that because he wanted me to be happy.

"Okay, I promise." I wasn't sure if I could keep that promise though. I'm not good at letting go of people as it is, but letting go of him would be damn near impossible. "I love you, Danny." Tears were forming in my eyes; I knew he was about to leave me again, I don't know how I knew, but I did.

"Don't forget me, Sammy." His voice faded as he left for good and had I not been in tears, I would have made some remark in response to the dumb nickname. Only he could ever get away with that, and even then he would usually get some smart remark in response.

I'd gotten what I'd asked for, just a chance to talk to him again, a chance to say goodbye. Knowing that was going to be my last conversation with him hurt almost as much a when I found out he was dead. And now, he wanted me to move on with my life, move on from him. How could I do that? I have a hard time letting people go as is, but him? No, that was a promise I was going to have to break.

I won't give up on him. I won't.

* * *

Where was I? What happened? Who was I? Why didn't I know who I was? Isn't that something you're supposed to know? All I can remember is beautiful amethyst eyes, but I knew those weren't mine. Whose eyes was I remembering?

Who am I?

* * *

_Happy Singles Awareness Day! :P A day for all the single people in the world to realize just how forever alone they are, isn't it a brilliant holiday? :P_

_On a slightly more important note, the sequel for this should come out with its first chapter over the weekend and will be called "Just Out of Reach." Hope to see you all then! :D_

_Comments and feedbacK are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_

* * *

_The following has nothing much to do with anything at all, I guess you could call it a dedication of sorts for this story._

_So anyway, here's to the best friend who gave me the memories most of this story was written off of - the same smart ass that would go through and point out all the errors my memory made if he ever saw this. Here's hoping you'll be able to pick up all the shit that hit the fan and keep your promise of coming back._

_I still give a damn, even if no one else does._


End file.
